As a helium provider, we get quote requests every day. Believe it or not, the accuracy and speed of your quote has mostly to do with, well, you.
Using what we’ve learned over our many years in the business, we have put together a quick list of tips that YOU should know when requesting a quote from your helium provider.
If you follow these 5 simple things, you can be assured you will get a fast, accurate helium quote.
1. Don’t wait until the last minute
It sounds obvious, but typically you don’t wake up one day and suddenly need helium (hopefully). As a helium provider, we want to give you an accurate quote as fast as possible. And we will. But, a lot can go quote itself depending on the complexity, size, and locations of the request.
We want to make sure we are sending you the most accurate information possible to fit your unique needs. So, it’s always best to plan ahead just a bit.
2. Use the online form from your helium provider
Some of us are old school, we get it. That’s cool with us! But this new Internet thing really does save you a lot of time and effort.
Almost every helium provider out there today worth their salt has an online quote request form. Not only are these incredibly convenient and easy for you to use, they’re often the quickest way to get a quote back.
There is someone monitoring these online forms at all times and your request will go right to the top of that employee’s inbox.
The best part? No hold music.
3. Be thorough! Be thorough! Be thorough!
OK, so you’re using the online “Get a Quote” form from your helium provider. EXCELLENT! Now please, use ALL of it!
This is the most important step to ensure you get results you’re happy with.
We know how fast we all move on our devices. Our attention spans are dwindling. We don’t like filling out forms by nature. Look, we get it!
But this is your business, and the bottom line is that the online form is still far faster to use than getting on the phone, typing your own freehanded email to a helium provider, or submitting a paper request (if people still do that?).
And for the paranoid, your helium provider is not collecting information to spam you!
That online form was meticulously and carefully designed to capture the very minimum amount of information needed to give you as accurate and fast of a quote as possible. Thought, effort, and many coffees went into building that form behind the scenes.
Ours for example: A team of 3 Zephyrians spent the better part of 3 days crafting our own form to keep it as simple and short as possible, while allowing us to offer the most accurate and speedy quotes in response. The result? In 99% of cases when the form is completed properly, we can respond with pinpoint accuracy within the hour.
Here’s another thing about these forms. Even if the field isn’t required by default, it’s wise to fill it out as thoroughly and accurately as you possibly can. If you do, your helium provider will be able to respond to you that much quicker and with far greater accuracy.
Remember, 2-3 minutes of thoughtful, detailed responses completed in an online form will literally save you hours, even days of back and forth if a representative has to contact you to fill in the blanks.
4. Like bread, quotes eventually go stale
If you request a quote from your helium provider, but you wait a month or two to act on it, be prepared for a difference in cost when you’re ready to execute.
Helium (and all other gases) are part of a fluctuating market.
Think of gasoline prices — They go up one week, down the next, and the rollercoaster continues. The same goes with the helium market.
In most cases, price fluctuations are going to be minimal and maybe won’t change at all. However, if you do let a lot of time lapse from the time you received a quote to when you’re ready to purchase your helium, we’d advise you ask for an updated cost and just be prepared for some fluctuation.
And who knows — you might get it cheaper!
5. Do a bit of reading to save yourself some time
You’ve already taken the steps to find a helium provider. You searched, filtered, clicked, and clicked again. You made it to a quote request page. You know what you need.
Ask yourself, Did I find out who the helium provider serves?
We suggest doing a little light reading on the website of your helium provider, particularly the services or about pages, or even right there on the quote request page.
Believe it or not, although we clearly state all over our own website, including right next to our “Get a Quote” form, that we offer wholesale helium for commercial purposes, retail chains, and very large volume stores, we get anywhere from 3-5 quote requests a day from people in their homes asking for a single helium tank for a kid’s birthday party.
Take one extra minute to read about who your helium provider of choice actually provides to. No, it’s not an inconvenience to us by any means. We’re happy to point you more in the right direction to get what you need.
Truthfully, it’s a disservice to yourself. We just don’t want you to lose your own valuable time waiting on a response that isn’t going to be what you were expecting.
So there you have it! It’s pretty simple really — it comes down mostly to taking the time to read a bit and type a bit. If you do that, you will get a perfect quote from your helium provider!
